Kaepernick remains a polarizing figure for his role sparking a country-wide debate about the relationship between activism and sports. Many believe Kaepernick’s addition to a team would create an unnecessary “distraction” from football, even though his camp said in the spring he planned on standing for the national anthem if he signs with a team in 2017.

Others would argue football is a distraction from problems we all face in the real world and Kaepernick is appropriately using his platform to address important issues like systemic racial inequality and police brutality. Those issues are far more important than who wins and loses on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays.

The quarterback play throughout the NFL during Week 1 was far from spectacular, further proving Kaepernick is deserving of a job based on his ability, no matter how you feel about his social stances.

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt won the NFLPA’s Community MVP award last week after helping secure more than $33 million in donations for relief from Hurrican Harvey. The list of past winners can be found here.

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